


Chapter 6 Alternate

by TheBleedingQuill



Series: Healing Touch [2]
Category: I Frankenstein (2014)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mentions of Prostitution, alternate chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 18:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18555139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBleedingQuill/pseuds/TheBleedingQuill
Summary: This was my original draft for Chapter 6. After I rewatched the movie I realized that Adam specifically mentions shunning human society until the events of the movie, which makes all of this non-canon. I decided to go with a rewrite for Healing Touch, but I'm quite proud of some the writing, so I thought I would post this original version as a bonus!





	Chapter 6 Alternate

In Adam’s long hatred of humanity, nowhere did he feel it more strongly than in cities. The masses of human beings living almost on top of each other, the countless examples of man’s cruelty and callousness, and the often violent reaction to Adam himself ensured that he only ventured into highly populated areas if in extreme need. As the centuries passed, society’s ‘acceptance’ of those visibly different evolved. Adam no longer had to fear being burned at the stake or hung in the town square, but there were always people who bolstered their own weaknesses with the suffering of those they considered inferior. Humanity’s bloodthirst still remained, though now dressed up and hidden behind the trappings of an ‘advanced’ civilization. 

Since agreeing to stay with Terra, Adam had been roaming the streets of the city every night, venting the restlessness and wanderlust aggravated by the small apartment. In the past, when Adam had been forced into close quarters with humanity, he had seen nothing but evil play out before him. His perspective had been undergoing an extreme shift however, and now he saw the good in humanity as often as the bad. 

The homeless still lived rough on the streets, ignored or tormented, abandoned by the leaders of society. But now Adam also saw the owner of a chinese restaurant on the edge of the slums, a kind woman who boxed up the leftovers from her business every night and left them outside her backdoor for whoever needed a meal. 

Unwashed, malnourished, and bruised children crept in the shadows, but spoke to each other of a social worker who listened and believed, who fought as tirelessly for the children of the streets as she would for her own. The prostitutes still plied their trade, beaten by johns and customers alike, often sold into the work at a young age by those who were meant to cherish them. A pastor of a nearby church made rounds a few times a week, handing out warm clothes, toiletries, or groceries donated by his flock, taking the time to talk with the women and ask after their children, friends, pets. 

Where Adam had once seen only proof that his hatred and disgust was deserved, he now felt overwhelmed by the complexity of human beings, by the myriad variations even among those in the same family or social groups. Nowhere was this more evident than in his experiences with Terra. The first time he saw her, she referred to him as an ‘it’, while working in the company of evil. Her subsequent aid in his fight against Wessex had been an anomaly that he did not trust. Now however, he was living under her roof, provided for by her kindness. She had thanked him for preventing her from accomplishing what she once worked so hard for, had shown shame for what it would have meant. He was well familiar with the concept of guilt, but even that did not explain all that she had done for him, or the way she touched him.

Adam knew what she had been doing. Although Terra was matter of fact and subtle in her efforts, he noticed the way she chose to share the couch with him rather than her own chair, how the distance between them decreased over time. At first Terra was careful to give him space, but now it was not uncommon for their hands to touch while working in the kitchen, for her to lay a hand on his arm or shoulder as she passed. The strength of his own reactions to her proximity had disturbed him in the beginning. Physically, Terra was not a threat, and yet his body reacted with fear to even the most benign touch. Adam had never experienced anything like it before, but in the nights of introspection, lost in a half-trance while he walked the streets, he admitted to himself that he had never been in a situation like this before. 

Adam had done his best to ignore humanity’s existence at the start of his journey. He had even traveled as far towards the North Pole as he could, living off of animals and sleeping in caves. He had no idea how long he had spent there, only that after some time had passed something had pulled him south again. At first he had thought he longed merely for a more hospitable climate, but even living in the comparatively balmy wilds of Scotland and Ireland did not satisfy him. 

Again and again he found himself drawn to places of human habitation, at first to observe from the outskirts, and then to slink through the shadows in a heavy cloak to inns and taverns where he could sit unnoticed in a corner. The larger the town, the better he was able to pass anonymously through the streets when needed. He learned much from these excursions. Large, rough looking men were not welcome in the paved streets of high society, but in the muddy lanes of the poor they were always able to find someone who needed their intimidating strength.

Adam had from time to time earned money as a bouncer at a tavern or a gravedigger. These funds enabled him to buy things he needed and avoid being pursued for thievery, and to purchase passage on ships. In this way he wandered Europe for over two hundred years, retreating to the wilderness whenever he was overcome with his hatred. And yet, he still found himself drawn back every time.

Adam had loathed and feared that part of him, not able to understand why he seemed to need the very creatures he blamed for his own tormented existence. Now he was coming to understand that he was not the creature he had believed himself to be, separate and distinct from humanity, but had within himself at least some of the same spark they possessed, and it was this spark that drew him back. Terra seemed intent on fanning this spark into a blaze. Almost against his will, she made him feel connected to the people he passed on the street, to the homeless and the victimized. But nothing compared to the connection he felt with her. 

Over the months he had been with her, she had succeeded in taming his bodies reactions in a way he would never have believed. When he had allowed her to stitch him up in that dirty room, he had forced his body to ignore its instincts and allow her touch. Now, he welcomed every time she brushed against him or laid her hand on him. It settled something in him that he hadn’t realized existed, spreading warmth and a feeling of security through him. 

Adam had increasingly struggled with nightmares in the past weeks, but he had been able to keep them from Terra until that night. Half caught in the dream, he had needed Terra’s touch as much as he had feared it. Instincts that had been lulled into slumber came roaring awake, and the fight to stay had been exhausting. Her whispered praises had caught in his chest, winding tighter and tighter until finally something snapped and he felt tears run down his cheeks. The weight of Terra’s body had been magic, like a healing balm spread over a wound. He had felt his muscles relax, his heart slow. 

He could have stayed there forever, until the light of dawn broke through the curtains. He’d rolled over, still caught in the moment, feeling something he thought might have been peace until Terra’s hand on his chest reminded him of what he really was. Something scarred and damaged, a monster that had no place with her. He had thrown on his clothes and fled, spending the next three days walking through the city, taking out his pain and confusion several times on convenient walls. 

Ultimately, he had decided that it had been Terra’s choice to invite him into her home, Terra’s choice to be close to him, and it had been Terra’s choice to come into his room and comfort him. As damaged as he was, she clearly saw something in him she thought worthy. He was willing to give her the chance to show him what that might be. Adam returned to her, but couldn’t recapture the ease that he had felt with her before. He saw that she was upset by this, and heard her tears through the walls after they retired to their rooms. He felt unbearably guilty, but couldn’t bring himself to leave. 

As he sat on the bed, Adam heard Terra get up and creep to his door. He knew she probably assumed he had left, but was surprised by her almost inaudible sigh of relief when she eased the door open and saw him still there. Her offer of her hand, and even more than that her willingness to share his bed surprised and moved him. It was easier to accept her touch than it had been after the nightmare, and he was shocked by how quickly he fell asleep. Then, he woke up.

One of the jobs Adam had resorted to early in the 1800’s was as a bouncer at a brothel. He had been trying to book passage on a ship to leave England, the island beginning to feel too full and crowded to him. The brothel owner had been willing to pay him well to stand in a corner of the front room, a visual reminder not to short him on the fees or put marks on the women. Adam had gotten an advanced education in sex, and in the myriad ways men could degrade and abuse. His disgust had grown exponentially each night, and he finally left after only a week, although he was still short his needed funds. Although time and further observation had shown him that sex could be pleasurable for both parties and was extremely important in most romantic relationships, he still held some vague feelings of unease regarding the subject. 

His body seemed to function like any mans, and he was no stranger to waking up and taking himself in hand to relieve the pressure. He would never have expected Terra to be accepting of his condition, much less get such obvious pleasure out of touching him. Adam thought he understood now why so much importance was placed on sex. He had never felt pleasure so intense, even when he had been spent and watching Terra find her own. Although the need to run was strangely absent, Adam still left Terra’s apartment while he worked through everything in his mind. 

He had met people who had wanted him before, people who were attracted to his scars or to the simmering rage they could sense. Adam had rebuffed all of them. He could tell that none of them really cared about him, and he had no desire to allow them to use him so he could use them in turn. Adam somehow knew Terra wasn’t like them. Even when she had thought of him as just a long dead subject of Frankenstein she had somehow seen him, the real him. After his declaration of his name she had never referred to him as anything other than human. When Leonore had touched him gently, the only thing he had to compare it too, it had been to determine his fate. When Terra touched him, he could sense it was for the simple pleasure of contact.


End file.
